It's always sunny in Kazakhstan

It's It's been a while, but because we're a) into flags, b) into suns, and c) into numbers associated with Freemasonry, we thought we'd take a gander at the flag of Kazakhstan.

The flag adheres to the basic "rules" of good flag design: not too many colors (2 or 3), meaningful symbolism, no seals or writing, simplicity, and uniqueness.

One might argue the vertical band to the left is an unnecessary complication, but I don't think so, because it's a typical pattern of Kazakhstan.  That said, I could see the flag without the design and not "losing" anything.  The band was originally red, and changing it to yellow was a good decision.

The design of the sun is not like the Argentine/Uruguay type but more like that of Taiwan or Namibia, in that the rays are triangles detached from the circle.   And there are 32 of them. These 32 rays are said to represent the stages of grain development, but I always geek out on the Masonic use of this number.  There are 32 degrees in the Scottish Rite, or 33 if we count the ultimate, honorary degree.  The Rite is also, it so happens, to be symbolized by an eagle.

When I learned about this,. I didn't think it was an intentional Masonic message wink to those on the level.  A 32-rayed sun?  Coincidence.

Here's Wikipedia on the flag's symbolism.  No Masonry mentioned:

....The pattern represents the art and cultural traditions of the old Khanate and the Kazakh people. The turquoise background symbolises the peace, freedom, cultural, and ethnic unity of Kazakh people including the various Turkic people that make up the present-day population such as the Kazakhs, Tatars, Uyghurs, Uzbeks, as well as the significant Indo-European peoples. The sun represents a source of life and energy. It is also a symbol of wealth and abundance; the sun's rays are a symbol of the steppe's grain which is the basis of abundance and prosperity.

People of different Kazakh tribes had the golden eagle on their flags for centuries. The eagle symbolises the power of the state. For the modern nation of Kazakhstan the eagle is a symbol of independence, freedom and flight to the future.

So, there you go.  The end.  And then....

I was about to put this to bed and then decided to Google  "masonry and Kazakhstan."   What resulted surprised me. Apparently the capital city, created pretty much from scratch, is considered to be rife with occult and Masonic symbolism in it's architecture, parks, and monuments, including pyramids, towers, 32 symbolism, pentagrams, an owls.  Hoo boy, this place has it all.  I have a lot to unpack here; it's not so much a rabbit hole as a full-on warren. Gonna need to dig into this and get back atcha.

Until then, check out this link.  Don't know if I can add much more, and it's just so much to deal with!

Link

Salaam Alaikum, Minnesota!

Effective May 11, 2024

I just looked into this story after seeing a post about it on Facebook.  Minnesota has chosen a new flag. It's a decent flag in my opinion, and better than any of the five other finalists that the redesign commission had chosen. Problematic cultural issues aside, which are by far enough to merit a redesign, the old flag was just an aesthetic mess. It was not only ugly and indistinguishable from any number of similar state flags, it managed to be both busy and boring.  

The outgoing flag, 1957 revision 

So, good on Minnesota for changing it.  Now the state has a distinct, striking, and streamlined flag.  Ted Kaye, who literally wrote the book on flag design, gives it an A+.

Kaye, of the North American Vexillological Association, considers it to be one of the ten best US state flags.  A far cry from 2001, when the same Association named the previous flag one of the ten worst.   If I recall correctly, the old flag breaks at least 4 of Kaye's rules for effective flag design (it does).

Critics of the new flag are crying foul, saying it's wokeism run amok.  Some even claim it represents a kind of Somali "takeover" of Minnesota, because of a perceived likeness to the flag of Jubaland.  Jubaland is a part of Somalia, and Minneapolis has a large Somali community, the largest outside of Somalia; when I called the High School in Minneapolis, where my son did a year abroad, one could continue one's call in Somali. 

Talk of takeover and nativist, "great replacement" fear-mongering is ironic, because the old flag literally depicted the actual historical takeover of what is now Minnesota from the Native Americans....an Indian rides away as Sven sews his newly stolen fields...

Flag of Jubaland, home of Minnesota's new overlords

But like removing confederate imagery from southern states' flags, it's time; our  political symbols must reflect, respect, and represent all of our citizens. And man, the old flag was an eyesore. I can't imagine anyone actually being proud of it. Time will tell for the new one, but at least they've given the people something to work with.